Information archiving software

ABSTRACT

The present invention is adapted to provide information archiving software for a computer system, where this computer system includes or has access to at least one primary information storage system and an archiving storage system. The software provided is adapted to firstly determine at least one attribute of collections of information or files stored within the primary storage system, and then to subsequently test the attribute or attributes of these collections against at least one predefined rule. Information collections or files with attributes which pass the test or tests applied may then be transferred to the archiving storage system. Preferably, the software provided is implemented through a stand-alone application running in the computer system provided, independent of any file serving functionality.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to software employed to archive, and alsopreferably retrieve information managed by a computer system or computersystems. Preferably the present invention may be implemented as astand-alone software application which can be employed within a numberof different operating systems and networking architectures.

BACKGROUND ART

Computers provide powerful information processing and storage tools.Many different types of electronically formatted information may bestored and manipulated using a computer system, either locally on asingle computer, or by a number of separate users over a computernetwork.

Information stored in computer files or computerised documents canaccumulate within a computer system or network over time. These filesmay once have been used frequently but after time can become lessimportant to the daily activities of users. However, such files maystill record important information that should be stored on a long-termbasis.

To preserve the operational performance of a computer system or networkit is preferable to have such historical information or files removed toa secondary archiving facility once they no longer need to be accessedfrequently or at high speed. This allows the primary high performance orquick response storage systems of the computer system to be freed up foruse with more important or more current information. These historicalfiles can still be stored and retained in lower performance or lessaccessible data storage hardware as it is unlikely that this informationwill need to be retrieved quickly.

The archiving of such information becomes an important function within,for example, large file serving systems and networks with large numbersof users. Because of the large numbers and sizes of the documents andfiles employed, a central file server and associated storage systems canbecome overloaded with old files which do not necessarily need to beaccessed quickly by the system's users. Archiving of computer files insuch instances is relatively complicated due to the large numbers ofusers who may still wish to access such files. Clear rules orrequirements for when a file should be archived should be communicatedto all users and there must be a degree of agreement between all usersregarding when a file should be archived.

One attempt to address these problems is through assigning informationstorage quotas to users of the system. Users are only allocated aspecific set amount of memory or information storage capacity, whichforces users to delete or destroy information that is no longer infrequent use. However, this approach can lead to information beingdestroyed that should in fact be archived within a long-term storagesystem. Furthermore, users do not necessarily appreciate having sucharbitrary quotas or limitations placed on them.

Another attempt to address these problems is through building filearchiving functionality into the file server software itself. Adesignated system administrator for the server can set up a number ofarchiving rules which allow the server to automatically send files to asecondary archiving or storage system once particular criteria or rulesare met.

However, there are some limitations with this approach to file archivingsystems. The implementation of such systems within a server is inpractice relatively complicated. The system administrators mustfamiliarise themselves with the functionality of such software and theimplementation of the archiving rules employed. Furthermore, such fileservers which employ archiving functionality are relatively expensive topurchase, and require an in depth understanding of the operation of theserver system to be able to set up and maintain both the system and alsothe archiving functionality it provides.

In addition this type of archiving functionality is implemented withrespect to a single file server and operating system only. The archivingfunctions are built into the file server specific to the particularoperating system that the file server is to be run by. No provision ismade for archiving of files outside of one particular file server andoperating system combination. If the user changes operating systems orserver systems they cannot any longer employ such archivingfunctionality. Furthermore, some operating systems or server softwaremay not supply such archiving functionality, potentially leaving thesystem's users to manually sort through and archive their collections offiles.

An improved file archiving system or software that addressed any or allof the above problems would be of advantage. An archiving system whichwas simple to use and which could run passively in the background of acomputer system to automatically archive selected files, and which alsoallowed quick and easy retrieval of archived documents would be ofadvantage. Furthermore, a file archiving system which could be run on anumber of different file serving platforms and a number of differentoperating systems as stand-alone application would be of advantage.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoingproblems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of exampleonly.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited inthis specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission ismade that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of thereferences states what their authors assert, and the applicants reservethe right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the citeddocuments. It will be clearly understood that, although a number ofprior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does notconstitute an admission that any of these documents form part of thecommon general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any othercountry.

It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varyingjurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusivemeaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwisenoted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that itwill be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components itdirectly references, but also other non-specified components orelements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method orprocess.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoingproblems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of exampleonly.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is providedinformation archiving software for a computer system, said computersystem including or having access to at least one primary informationstorage system, and an archiving information storage system, theinformation archiving software being adapted to execute the steps of:

-   (i) determining at least one attribute of collections of information    stored within a primary information storage system, and-   (ii) testing the attribute or attributes of the collections of    information stored within the primary information storage system    against at least one predefined rule, and-   (iii) transferring information collections with associated    attributes which pass said at least one test from the primary    information storage system to the archiving storage system,    wherein said information archiving software is implemented as a    stand-alone computer application or process independent of any    file-serving functionality.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is providedinformation archiving software substantially as described above whereinsaid software is adapted to provide a program run substantiallycontinuously by a computer system.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there isprovided information archiving software substantially as described abovesaid software being adapted to execute the further subsequent step of:

-   (iv) storing reference stub information within the location of the    primary information storage system which the information collection    was removed, said reference stub information indicating the location    within the archiving information storage system where the    transferred information collection is stored.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there isprovided information archiving software substantially as described abovefurther characterised by the additional subsequent step of:

-   (v) activating retrieval function which employs the stored reference    stub information to retrieve and restore an archived information    collection to its original location within a primary information    storage system.

The present invention is adapted to provide information archivingsoftware. Such software can generally be employed to ensure thatinformation which does not readily need to be accessed frequently orquickly by a user of the system can be removed and stored in anarchiving system. This will free system resources for information whichdoes require frequent and fast access.

Furthermore, the present invention may provide an archiving system whichcan improve the speed which a large computer system can be restoredafter a crash or failure. As such an archiving system can greatly reducethe size of the primary information storage systems which need to bebought back on line and this in turn reduces the amount of time requiredto complete this action. With large systems having significant amountsof time critical information, the present invention can provide a majoradvantage over the prior art.

Reference throughout this specification will also be made to thesoftware employed being loaded within and being run by a computersystem. A computer system may encompass an entire network of separateand remote computer processors, or a single stand-alone personalcomputer or work station. Those skilled in the art should appreciatethat the present invention may be adapted to operate in any form ofdistributed or networked computer system or with a single stand-alonecomputer if required. However, reference throughout this specificationwill be made to the present invention being employed within a local areanetwork that also has a central file server operating.

Furthermore, reference throughout this specification will also be madeto the present invention providing software installed and run on asingle computer system only. However, those skilled in the art shouldappreciate that a plurality of separate machines may also have a numberof instances of the same software installed and running to provide thearchiving functions required in accordance with the present invention.Reference to the installation of the software provided on a singlecomputer only should in no way be seen as limiting.

Preferably the computer system may include or have access to at leastone primary storage system. A primary storage system can give relativelyfast or responsive access to stored information that users require on afrequent basis. A primary storage system may be implemented in anynumber of ways using current computer hardware and technology. Referencethroughout this specification however will be made to a primary storagesystem being at least one, but preferably a series of high capacity harddiscs or hard drives hosted within a central file-serving computersystem. For example, a windows based network with shared network drivesformed from such hard disks which are available to a plurality of usersmay form a primary storage system. Such a primary storage system canprovide access to the same information to a wide number of users withrelatively fast response time.

However those skilled in the art should appreciate that a primarystorage system need not necessary be implemented or provided through asingle file serving machine only. For example, in other embodiments ofthe present invention, the archiving software employed may work with thehard disks or hard drives of a number of personal computers networkedtogether, where this collection of hard drives to make up the primarystorage system.

Preferably the computer system involved also includes or has access toan archiving information storage system. Such a system may again storeinformation, but may be implemented using computer hardware that is notas responsive or as quick to provide the information stored as theprimary storage system discussed above. Such an archiving storage systemmay preferably be implemented through a system which has a relativelyinexpensive and high information density storage capacity. For example,in some embodiments an archiving storage system may employ at least onemagnetic tape storage system that must be spooled and wound to thecorrect location on the tape to retrieve a particular collection ofinformation.

Preferably the software implemented in accordance with the presentinvention may provide a stand-alone process or application to be run ona computer system. For this stand-alone process the computer softwaremay provide information archiving functions only, and in someembodiments may preferably also provide the facility to retrievepreviously archived information. Such software may in effect provide a“plug-in” application for a computer system—irrespective of theoperating system run by the computer system or the particular type offile serving architecture employed within the system. The presentinvention may provide archiving functionality easily, quickly andinexpensively irrespective of the actual platform of the computer systemwhich it is to be deployed in relation to.

In a further preferred embodiment the archiving software provided may besubstantially continuously run as a background process of the computersystem. The process provided may automatically archive collections ofinformation without any specific actions, requests or commands fromusers of the computer system. Such a process may preferably beinitialised with a set of instructions or parameters regarding howarchiving of information should be completed and then left to runwithout any further human intervention.

This approach substantially limits actual user interaction with thepresent invention, greatly simplifying the way such software can beused. The process involved simply needs to be set up and run initiallyby an administrator of the computer system with parameters regardingwhen information should be archived. This process can then be allowed torun in the background of the computer system without any furtherinstructions or interaction with users.

The present invention is adapted to provide archiving functions forcollections of information stored or managed by a computer system. Theactual implementation of the computer system and how it operates willdetermine the form of the information collections employed. For example,in a preferred (and most common) embodiment collections of informationmay be in the form of computer files. Distinct computer files maycollect and record specific types of information that at a later datemay need to be archived.

Reference throughout this specification will also be made to thecollections of information managed by the software of the presentinvention being computer files. However, those skilled in the art shouldappreciate that other forms and types of information collections mayalso be managed in conjunction with the present invention and referenceto the above only throughout this specification should in no way be seenas limiting.

Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the filesto be archived being stored at a particular memory location and beingtransferred from such an original memory location when archived.Preferably a standard file directory organisational system may beimplemented within either the primary or archiving information storagesystems to give a specific location where information is or could bestored. When transferred such files can be removed from the particulardirectory involved and transfer to an alternative directory within thearchiving information storage system.

In a preferred embodiment each of the files which potentially could bearchived using the present invention may include or have associated atleast one attribute. An attribute may form any type of value orparameter associated with the file which can in turn be used todetermine whether the file should be archived. For example, files to bearchived can have attributes which include creation time, time lastmodified or accessed, size, name, type, storage location or path. Otherattributes assigned to a file and also incorporate specific user definedattributes for the files such as a category or a series of key wordswhich a user has identified with the file.

Preferably an attribute or attributes of the file may be tested by thearchiving software to determine whether the file should be archived. Toperform such a test or tests one or more rules may be set up by anadministrator of the computer system or by a collection of users who arelikely to require access to the files stored within a primary storagesystem. Such a rule or rules may simply test for a threshold value orparameter linked to an attribute of the file. For example, in oneinstance a rule may be set up to ensure that any files created in excessof six months from the present date are archived. Furthermore,particular attributes of a file may also indicate that the file is notto be archived in any circumstances. This type of rule, when used incombination with other rules, can ensure that important files or othertypes of information collections are never archived.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that any number and range ofrules may be set up for use in conjunction with the present inventiondepending on the particular requirements of a computer system's users.This configuration of the present invention effectively automatesarchiving processes, freeing up the time of computer systemadministrators for other tasks.

Preferably, the software employed may traverse a directory structure orfile structure which has been nominated for monitoring by the archivingsoftware employed. Specific directories only or sections of such a filesystem can be monitored, with the contents of each directory or folderin the file system being investigated periodically by software employedin conjunction with the present invention. Preferably a directorywalking ‘agent’ may be implemented with such software, where such anagent continuously cycles through the directories or folders within thearea of the file system to be monitored.

In a preferred embodiment, one or more rules employed in conjunctionwith the present invention may test a threshold value associated with anattribute of an information collection or file. Such attributes may havepreferably a prioritisation, ranking or numeric value which can becompared with a pre-defined threshold.

In a further preferred embodiment at least one rule set up and tested inrelation to the software employed may test time specific attributes of afile. Furthermore, a file organisation and directory system set upwithin the archiving storage system may also be organised along timebased lines. For example, a series of directories may be set up withinthe archiving information storage system which win have archived fileslocated within such directories depending on the date of archiving ofthe file, or alternatively any time based attributes associated with thefile. These time based parameters (either provided as an attribute ofthe file or determined by the time at which a file is archived) canallow archived information collections or files to be easily searchedand subsequently retrieved if required.

For example, in a preferred embodiment directories may be set up for aspecific date or a range of dates, with any files archived within thesedates being placed in the directory created. In such a scheme, a rulemay be set up so that computer files which have a last modified datelater than a specific threshold date will be archived. The files whichpass this test will be archived and stored in the directory named afterthe time or date at which archiving occurred.

This type of organisational scheme employed within the archivinginformation storage system can allow users to easily find any files thathave been automatically archived. Furthermore, this type oforganisational system also allows summaries dealing with time basedinformation or archived files to be easily prepared simply beinvestigating the appropriate directories of the archiving informationstorage system.

Preferably a logging system may also be employed in the completion ofsuch archiving processes. A logging system may record (preferably in atext based computer file) a record of the files archived at anyparticular point in time from any area of a primary storage system tothe archiving information storage system. Alternatively, such a loggingsystem may be adapted to record details of transfers of informationcollections from the archiving to the primary information storage systemif required. Such a logging system may record details of or track theactivities of the archiving process to provide, for example, ahistorical report on the archiving systems activities, or alternativelymay be used in a restoration operation in case critical information tothe archiving system is lost.

Such a logging system may store a file recording activity on a primarystorage system within which the archiving system has been active, oralternatively within the corresponding area of the archiving storagesystem into which files are transferred. Furthermore, several log filesmay also be created by such a logging system with a log file beingassociated in a particular area or partition of the primary storagesystem, or archiving storage system.

In a preferred embodiment the archiving software employed may alsoprovide a user or administrator interface facility. For example, in apreferred embodiment a web page based interface may be provided to allowan administrator of the computer system or systems involved to programthe archiving rules tested by the software provided. This interfacefacility may allow an administrator of the computer system to controlparameters investigated by the software provided, to ensure that theprimary storage system does not become overloaded with files users donot necessarily need on a daily basis. Furthermore, such an interfacefacility can also receive authentication and password information from asystem administrator to allow the software employed to have access- tothe portions of the file system from which files would be removed whenarchived. This authentication information may also be encrypted toensure that unauthorised persons do not also gain access to the filesystem without the authority of the system administrator.

In a preferred embodiment a file selected for archiving may becompressed prior to storage within the secondary storage system.Compression of files will reduce the size of same and therebyeffectively extend the storage capacity of the secondary storage system.As archived files may not necessarily be required frequently or quickly,compression of these files is appropriate for long-term storage.

In a further preferred embodiment files may also be encrypted in thearchiving process. Encryption of the information contained within filesprevents unauthorised access of this information while stored on or inthe secondary storage system. An encryption algorithm may be applied sothat only a system administrator or the user or owner of the file cansubsequently decrypt same when the file is restored or retrieved fromarchiving.

In a further preferred embodiment the archiving software employed mayalso store reference stub information within the location of the primaryinformation storage system from which a file is removed and archivedfrom. Such reference stub information may preferably take the form ofanother file which incorporates further information regarding thelocation within the archiving information storage system at which thearchived file is stored.

Furthermore, the name of such a stub file can also indicate to a userthat a file has been archived and potentially may also indicate the timeof archiving of the file. Such a stub file may also provide specificinformation as to a path or directory structure within the archivinginformation storage system at which the archive file has been stored.

In a further preferred embodiment the information archiving software mayalso provide a retrieval function which can be employed by a user toretrieve an archived file. Such a retrieval function may employ theinformation stored within a reference stub. The location informationwithin the stub file can be used to in turn retrieve the archived fileand store it again in the original directory of a primary informationstorage system.

In a further preferred embodiment such a retrieval function may beactivated by a user interacting with or opening the reference stub fileor information. This in turn may trigger the retrieval functions of thearchiving software provided which will indicate to the user that thearchived file is being retrieved and will shortly become available. Inthe execution of such retrieval functions the software may then retrievethe archived file and save it back into its original location within theprimary storage system, this being the current location of the referencestub file. Preferably, the reference stub file may also be maintained inthe same location to indicate that the restored file had previously beenarchived and subsequently restored or retrieved.

In such instances the operation of the retrieval functions are triggereddirectly by the user of the present invention. Simply through openingthe reference stub file or information a user may trigger operation ofthe archiving function, without directly having to issue commands to afile server system associated with the computer system. Softwareemployed to implement the present invention may run independent fromsuch central file service systems, allowing the present invention to beconfigured as a stand alone or “plug in” application with any number ofdifferent types of computer system platforms and file serverenvironments. This configuration of the invention also allows for fullend-user control of the restoration process. A user may both select afile, for restoration and subsequently trigger the restoration processrequired themselves, thereby freeing up the time of the computersystem's administrators and technicians from archive restoration tasks.

The present invention provides many potential advantages over the priorart.

Information or file archiving functionality may be providedinexpensively using a single software application which can operateindependent of the operating system or file server architecture of thecomputer system involved.

Furthermore, such archiving software may operate with an absoluteminimum of user interaction and may simply be set up as a backgroundprocess which permanently runs within the computer system to archiveselected files or other information collections.

In addition, archiving software substantially as described above canalso be used to easily and quickly retrieve archived files. Referencestub information left behind by the archiving system can be used tofirstly indicate that a file has been archived, and then in turnretrieve the archived file if required by a user.

Furthermore, the implementation of the archiving software describedabove should provide security for the information being archived. Thesoftware employed to retrieve an archive file can only be triggeredthrough association with the reference stub file or information. Thisfeature of the invention means that only those authorised to review theoriginal information which was archived will subsequently have access toa reference stub file, thereby restricting the ability of others toretrieve archived information or files.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from theensuing description which is given by way of example only and withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show schematic diagrams of file and directoryrepresentations employed by a computer system running archiving softwareformed in a preferred embodiment where a file is archived; and

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c show schematic diagrams of file and directoryrepresentations of a computer system running software of a preferredembodiment where a file is retrieved from an archive, and

FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow chart of processes executed andinformation flows completed in an archiving process performed inaccordance with one embodiment, and

FIG. 4 shows a block schematic diagram of processes executed andinformation flows completed in an retrieval process performed inaccordance with one embodiment, and

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of computer hardware deployment and thenetworking of a computer system which employs the archiving software ofthe present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show diagrammatic representations of files anddirectories structures employed within a computer system. Such acomputer system is loaded with information archiving software formed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1a and 1 b show the changes in the files stored in two separate memorylocations triggered by the archiving of a selected file by sucharchiving software.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a computer system running the Windows 2000™ operatingsystem. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the presentinvention may be deployed on other types of operating system and itcould also be employed in systems running a number of different centralfile server architectures. Furthermore, if required the presentinvention could also be employed within a stand alone personal computerto archive files from a hard drive with a long term archiving storagesystem such as optical media burnt with a CD writing drive.

FIG. 1 a shows a number of files stored within a directory of a primaryinformation storage system associated with a computer system. Thisprimary information storage system may preferably be high capacity harddrive administered by file server system within a local area network.The primary information storage system can provide fast access to thefiles stored within the temp directory shown.

Archiving software provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention may be run as a background process within such acomputer system. This process can periodically and automatically testparticular attributes of the files stored to determine whether thesefiles should be archived. Passing the test applied will result in a filebeing archived.

FIG. 1 a illustrates the case where the file “TxtAll21.exe” isidentified as having last been modified on 20 Dec. 2000. This particularmodification time attribute of the file is then compared to a rule ortest initialised within the software employed. In the instance shown thesoftware will archive any files when the file modification dateattribute is tested have a modification date earlier than 1 Jan. 2001.In the instance shown the only file present within the temp directorywhich passes this test is the “TxtAll21.exe” file, which is selected forarchiving.

FIG. 1 b shows a directory structure implemented within an archivinginformation storage system also accessible to the computer systeminvolved. The archive has a number of sub-directories named afterspecific dates so that duplicate copies of the same file archived atdifferent times are not stored within the same directory. Archived fileswill be stored in particular directories based on the date which thefile was archived on. In the instance shown the archived file from theprimary information storage system is transferred to the sub-directory10-04-2001 of the archive directory within the archiving storage system.This information storage system may retain such historical files usinghigh information density low cost computer hardware, which need notnecessarily provide fast access to the information archive.

The archiving process provided as discussed above can be employed toimprove the speed at which computer systems can be redeployed orreinstated after a major crash. As the archiving functions provided bythe present invention allow the size of the primary information storagesystem to be substantially reduced, this in turn significantly reducesthe time required to reinstate and place back on line such a primaryinformation storage system. This can have major advantages in largecomputer systems which need continuous access to time sensitiveinformation or files.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c show similar views of directory structures andfiles, and also a user interface selection window displayed to a user ofa system when an archived file needs to be retrieved.

FIG. 2 a shows the directory of FIG. 1 a after the “TxtAll21.exe” filehas been archived. The file involved has been removed from the tempdirectory and the archiving software has stored in the same directory areference stub file indicating that the original file has been archivedand the date of archiving of this file. The attributes of this referencestub file also indicate that it provides a “shortcut” reference to thenew archive storage location of the original archive file.

FIG. 2 b shows a screen view from the computer system involved where auser of the system has opened or double clicked on the reference stubfile in an attempt to execute the file restoration functionality of thearchiving software. Once a user opens or triggers the stub file theinitial pop up response window shown with respect to FIG. 2 b isdisplayed, indicating to the user that the file they requested has beenarchived and may take some time to retrieve. If the user then indicatesthat they still wish to proceed with the retrieval action the softwareemployed then executes the retrieval of the archived file from thearchiving information storage system.

FIG. 2 c shows the state of the primary information storage system tempdirectory once the retrieval function has been completed. The original“TxtAll21.exe” file has been restored to the primary information storagesystem and has also had its date at last modification updated to thepresent date, being the time at which this file was retrieved from thearchive.

This configuration of retrieval functions provides a degree of securityto the information being archived. The retrieval functions are triggeredthrough opening or activation of the stub file which the original ownerof the information archived has access to. Therefore, the archived fileinvolved can only be retrieved by standard users who also have access tothe reference stub file. By restricting access to the reference stubfile, access is in turn restricted to the archived information storedwithin the archiving information storage system.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow chart of processes executed andinformation flows completed in an archiving process performed inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown with respect to FIG. 3 the software employed is initiallystarted and walks through or inspects each file within a primary storagesystem to be scanned. If no files are found, or if the software isterminated, a report is generated of the activities and software.

If a file is found the age of the file is checked, as is the file type.A determination is made to see if the file type can be archived or ifthe file is old enough for archiving. If these two criteria are notsatisfied the software employed moves on to the next file in the primarystorage structure to be scanned. Otherwise, an archiving process iscompleted by a further software module defined as a media adapter.

The media adapter module employed operates to move the file involvedfrom the primary storage system and transfer it to an archiving filestorage system. Once this process is completed a test is determined tosee whether the media adapter software was successful in the archivingprocess. If the process was successful, a shortcut to the successfullyarchived file is placed in the primary storage system and the originalfile is deleted. A logging file detailing the activities of the softwareis also updated. The software will next proceed on to the next file inthe primary storage system to be scanned.

FIG. 4 shows a block schematic diagram of processes executed andinformation flows completed in a retrieval process performed inaccordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown the software employed is triggered through auser opening a reference sub-file or shortcut file, as discussed withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2. After this file has been opened the softwareemployed seeks confirmation from a user that they wish to restore orretrieve the file in question from the archiving system.

Once confirmation is received from the user a progress window isdisplayed and the reference information from the archived file isextracted from the shortcut file stored in the primary storagedirectory.

A media adapter software module is next employed to retrieve thearchived file using the information stored in the reference or shortcutfile. If the media adapter does not find the required archived file, anerror message is displayed to the user, and the software finishesexecuting. Alternatively, if the correct file is found the media adapterretrieves and saves this file to the correct position in the primarystorage system.

If this retrieval and saving operation is completed successfully, thisis indicated to the user—whereas if an error occurs an error message isdisplayed to the user. In both instances the software employed thenfinishes executing.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of computer hardware deployed andnetworking used in a computer system which employs the archivingsoftware of the present invention.

The primary storage system within which the archiving software operatesis provided by the server farm, through servers A, B and C. Theseservers are linked to and accessible by a number of discrete users. Thearchive functions of the software employed are executed by the autoarchiving machines shown, which run sets of “Directory Walkers” throughthe primary information storage directories of the servers.

The archiving machines are also in communication with a configurationmanagement system and associated configuration database which is in turnaccessed by the terminals of system administrators responsible for theoperation of the archiving software. The configuration manager can beused by the system administrators to modify or change the behaviour ofthe directory walkers and auto archiving software.

The auto archiving machines and associated directory walker softwareimplement the flow chart of operations shown with respect to FIG. 3.Each of the selected directory structures of the servers is inspectedfor files to be archived by the directory walker. Once a file is foundwhich qualifies for archiving, media adapter software associated with aspecific type of archiving storage system (such as an optical CD jukebox, a Internet storage system or magnetic tape storage system) iscontacted and employed to store or archive the file involved.

The media adapters employed are also directly linked to a restorationsoftware or utility which is triggered or operated by the usersconnected to the server farm. The restoration utility will execute theprocesses or operations shown with respect to FIG. 4 to retrieve a filewhich was previously archived on request from a user. The restorationutility operates in combination with the appropriate media adapter inthe server farm to restore the file involved to its original locationwithin the appropriate server.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of exampleonly and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions maybe made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined inthe appended claims.

1. Information archiving software for a computer system, said computersystem having access to at least one primary information storage system,and an archiving information storage system, the information archivingsoftware being adapted to execute the steps of; (i) determining at leastone attribute of collections of information stored within a primaryinformation storage system and (ii) testing the attribute or attributesof the collections of stored information within the primary informationstorage system against at least one pre defined rule, and (iii)transferring information collections with associated attributes whichpass said at least one test from the primary information storage systemto the archiving storage system, wherein said information archivingsoftware is implemented as a stand-alone computer application or processindependent of any file serving functionality.
 2. Information archivingsoftware as claimed in claim 1 wherein said software is adapted toprovide a program run substantially continuously by said computersystem.
 3. Information archiving software as claimed in claim 1 whereinsaid software is implemented as a stand-alone plug-in application for anexisting operating system.
 4. Information archiving software as claimedin claim 1 wherein the primary storage system is formed from at leastone hard disk drive provided within a central file serving computersystem.
 5. Information archiving software as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe archiving information storage system employs at least one magnetictape storage system.
 6. Information archiving software as claimed inclaim 1 wherein attributes of collections of stored information includeany one of or combination of creation time, time last modified, timelast accessed, size, name, type, storage location and/or assigned keywords.
 7. Information archiving software as claimed in claim 1 wherein athreshold value associated with an information collection attribute istested by a predefined rule.
 8. Information archiving software asclaimed in claim 7 wherein at least one time specific attribute istested to determine whether an information collection is to be archived.9. Information archiving software as claimed in claim 1 whereininformation collections stored within the archiving information storagesystem are organised based on time based parameters.
 10. Informationarchiving software as claimed in claim 1 which includes a logging systemadapted to record details of transfers of information collections fromthe primary to the archiving information storage system.
 11. Informationarchiving software as claimed in claim 1 wherein which includes alogging system adapted to record details of transfers of informationcollections from the archiving to the primary information storagesystem.
 12. Information archiving software as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe logging system records details of transfers of informationcollections from selected areas only of said primary or archivingstorage systems.
 13. Information archiving software for a computersystem, said computer system having access to at least one primaryinformation storage system and an archiving information storage system,the information archiving software being adapted to execute the stepsof, (i) determining at least one attribute of collections of informationstored within a primary information storage system, and (ii) testing theattribute or attributes of the collections of stored information withinthe primary information storage system against at least one pre definedrule, and (iii) transferring information collections with associatedattributes which pass said at least one test from the primaryinformation storage system to the archiving storage system, (iv) storingreference stub information within the location of the primaryinformation storage system from which the information collection wasremoved, said reference stub information indicating the location withinthe archiving information storage system where the transferredinformation is stored, wherein said information archiving software isimplemented as a stand-alone computer application or process independentof any file serving functionality.
 14. Information archiving software asclaimed in claim 13 further characterised by the additional subsequentstep of, (v) activating retrieval functions which employ the storedreference stub information to retrieve and restore an archivedinformation collection to its original storage location within a primaryinformation storage system.
 15. Information archiving software asclaimed in claim 13 wherein reference stub information indicates thetime at which the information collection was transferred to thearchiving storage system.
 16. Information archiving software as claimedin claim 13 wherein user interaction with stored reference stubinformation causes the transfer of the archived information collectionto the location of said reference stub information from the archivinginformation storage system.
 17. Information archiving softwaresubstantially as herein described with reference to and as illustratedby the accompanying drawings and/or examples.
 18. A method of providingan information archiving facility for a computer system substantially asherein described with reference to and as illustrated by theaccompanying drawings and/or examples.